Thread: The Busting Down of America

December 2, 2007

The Busting Down of America

By JOHN LORENZ

As a follow-up to the article posted in Op-Ed news,by Lance Landon, entitled "The Enemy has been Identified: "ËœWe the People': I think Mr. Landon has a very important point and I have gotten his permission to further ariculate his idea for those of us who feel the same thing going on, know he's right and we still care about this country and what it is becoming.

Back in the late 70's, Jimmy Carter mentioned "Ëœa general malaise' that was gripping the American psyche (as an aftermath of the Vietnam War debacle). Well, maybe it's time to dust off that little phrase and start attempting to put a face to what is again becoming a feeling that something has gone horribly wrong with our whole national way of life and that our own government has been acting more and more like our enemy rather than like our protector and friend.

Our own U.S. government seems to be in the process of becoming our main oppressor, reversing what should be normal caretaking, in favor of abrogating democratic safeguards. A good example, is its communist-like spying oninnocent civilians here at home.

We see everywhere in our land an arrogant bureaucracy of pseudo-liberal social engineers and neo-con warmongers and corporate sellouts. We see the state-criminalizing us as parents and forbidding us to even discipline our own children, yet then holding us responsible legally when our kids turn into monsters for lack of any controls on them at home.

We see the dumbing down of our national pop culture, the coarsening of our ethics(with the strange bedfellows of left-wing radical lifestyle proponents allied with corporate media): we get out of this witches brew of poison from both left and right wings of our political spectrum the result that our youth has gone out of control, helped by a corrupt music and movie industry whose the bottom line is selling media content, no matter how depraved, solely in furtherance of the profit motive, at the expense of the ethical fabric of our country.

We see many industries that are responsible for safe goods and services being left unregulated and sold to the highest lobbyist-bidders in exchange for campaign contributions of career politicians whose aim is to perpetuate their stay in office, not serve their constituents.

We see the economic busting down of our country's prosperity and security by a government that would appear to have become almost completely unresponsive to its citizens. but very responsive to global capitalist profit takers. We see the stubborn fomenting of high-debt-producing-boondoggle pork-barrel spending and wasteful, destructive engagement in expensive, unending foreign wars; we see tax cuts given to "Ëœrobber-baron' elites who are already receiving windfall profits and government "Ëœcorporate welfare' subsidies. This tiny elite sucks off the gravy while giving nothing back to the country. They would appear to be a tiny, over-privileged percentile of already filthy rich.

Meanwhile, we see gross mismanagement of the government itself (e.g. stealing from the Social Security Trust Fund, then wanting to cut benefits to the poor to pay for their theft). We see lavish waste on corrupt contractors both abroad and at home, unfairly coupled with a miserly government treatment of the common wage earner and retiree (eg. parsing and denying of benefits to average people in need, like our veterans returning from Iraq).

We see the continued obstruction over many years of needed social reforms such as universal health care, a decent living for minimum wage workers,lack of research into alternative energy and an economically two-tiered delivery system in education, medicine and other areas of public benefit. We see the shipping of our country's manufacturing overseas; and we see the massive importation of dumped foreign goods with no protections for our workers' jobs.

We see the steady allowing of a flood of new illegal "immigrant" squatters with a move among both parties to pre-empt the American citizen and legal workers with a "guest worker program' when the remaining jobs that the huge illegal population hasn't taken already at slave labor rates goes overseas. Our country used to be a beacon for manufacture of high quality goods and agricultural products. Now we import poisoned goods and cheaply made foreign goods to stock our mass retailers.

We see our laws unenforced and/or for sale to the highest bidder (lobbyists) which then allows monopolistic corporations to twist the legal processes to hold Americans down.

We see a President who has created a climate of fear as a way to usurp power and keep any political opposition cowed. We see that same "Ëœpresident' with the complicity of Congress, stripping away our constitutional rights, selling off our resources, plundering pension and trust funds and wasting our future productivity when our country becomes deeply in debt to overseas powers who then can exercise veto-power over our public policies.

It feels like our whole nation is in the jaw-grip of opportunist vampires, be they politician-scammers, illegal squatters or corporate rich, or social engineering bureaucrats who tell us how to live and what to do. They give themselves Cadillac treatment (lavish pensions to public officials) and give people who have no right to even be in this country access to expensive public services and even translated in their native language,while for American citizens, no help with cost of living, no help with basic rights like health care.

We see the spiralling downard, the busting down, of Americans' living standards, increasing the likelihood of a major recession with its attendant hardship and deprivation, coupled witih high inflation and energy prices and decreasing wages and purchasing power. The old stag-flation of the Carter years is about to come back with an ever weakening dollar and consumers stripped of their ability to even make a living.

The American public has been handed political powerlessness and a cynical disregard for the public good (e.g. lack of investment in a clean environment and rebuilt infrastructure; lack of regulation and oversight of any number of consumer safety standards; lack of spending on physical security (local police, border patrol, inspectors at our airports and shipping terminals).

High-handed officials seem to arrogate to themselves constantly expanding new powers over the average person, while handing down "Ëœthe politically correct' shaft to the common "Joe" in the street.

In summary then, our president and Congress would appear to care nothing about the will of the American people as expressed in the 2006 election and instead are allowing the bleeding off of our national wealth to governments and individuals in our own elite and the elites of global capitalists overseas. We've seen the enemy identified and that enemy is we, the American people. Our leaders are exchanging a traditionally prosperous lifestyle for encroaching, creeping poverty, hopeless indebtedness,joblessness (or at least lack of good jobs)and either outright neglect, or worse, a boot to the ribs of average citizens whose problems are left unresolved and who are left to cope with the galloping cost of living increases of big oil coupled with NO reform.

Also, ZERO help is given during national emergencies, but of course, always lots of help for big business (e.g. usury-bankers get bailout but no help for the sub-prime housing victims);

We see the abandonment of the average citizen to a permanent crisis mentality. Fear of terrorism, fear of joblessness, fear of disease and poisoned food. We are left to endure crisis after crisis while the store is continually being given away to a selfish, unpatriotic group of oligarchs at the top and foreigners inside and outside our own country. Our own people get a step down in living standards and a dictatorial high-handed encroachment on our Constitution, and the list could go on.

I think most people are aware of this in some sense, but don't know how to stop. They sense that our government is in the death-grip of a power-mad elite which holds all the levers of power and economics. This power-elite carefully hide its own identity and we never know who is responsible for our suffering.

I for one would like to issue a list of names of these elitists on both sides of the political aisle who put their own selfish interests ahead of their social responsibility toward their country. I'd like a list of the people in our governing elite who are busting down our country and shipping our future overseas and ruining our reputation and stealing our country out from under us here at home too.

I'd like a list of those individuals who are doing this to us. They need to be publicly identified as traitors to the United States and invited to leave.

Indeed, it seems that our own U.S. government is reversing 'normalcy' and appears to be in the process

of frittering away our common wealth, criminalizing average American citizens and passing fascist laws against our own people; but at the same time then allowing foreign powers like Saudi Arabia and China to determine our national policy, our usurper 'president' is starting foreign 'pre-emptive' wars and engaging in crony wealth giveaways, encouraging illegal squatters to under-cut American jobs and resources here at home and Congress seems to be passing corrupt laws designed by corporate greed-head speculators and allowing international trade agreements to put our country at an unfair advantage

letting foreign powers dump cheap goods here at home and get our jobs taken over there to their countries by a socially treasonous corporate power elite. Dumbed down means of communication and pablum-programming are increasingly holding dominance over us Americans while our rights are stripped from us, our resources are plundered and wasted and more 'rights and privleges' extended to foreign investors with no allegiance to the U.S. American business elites bring in illegal squatters to do domestic jobs at a fraction of the price, while the right-wingers keep roadblocking needed social reforms (living wage, health care, etc) while 'liberal' social engineers in government are allowed to strip us of our parenting rights. It would seem that people who should not even be in this country are awarded Cadillac treatment and criminals given help to break the law and illegals are given gravy train assistance in their own language, but our own children can't be given assistance for their health care. In the meantime, we see the continued busting down of our living standards, increasing income decline, political powerlessness among rank and file public coupled with cynical disregard for our environment and our public infrastructure handed down on the part of the great 'decision-msker' from "Ëœon high'giving the jackboot to the common "Joe" in the street.

Our president and Congress seem to care nothing about the will of the American people as expressed in the 2006 elections, and are disregarding the popular will about the War in Iraq, while sending our national wealth overseas to countries that are our enemies, and at home exchanging allowing 'laissez-faire' for the rich, but cuts for the poor to erode our prosperous lifestyle, exchanging the American dream, so-called, for a new poverty and jobless-indebtedness, outsourcing of manufacturing overseas; indeed, a boot to the ribs for the average consumer allowing a flood of illegals to work for slave wages, bring in drugs and gangs; ship us poisoned goods from China and handing out galloping price increases in staples needed for daily living. The American citizen gets ZERO help during crises such as the sub-prime housing crisis or hurricane Katrina...In short, the store is being given away to foreigners while our own people get the shaft, suffer abuse, benefit cuts, economic hardship, dictatorial encroachment on our Constitution, and the list could go on.

I think most people are aware of this in some sense, but don't know how to stop it since our government has a strangle-hold in the levers of power and the economy. They carefully hide the identities and names of the people in our governing elite who are busting down our country and shipping our future wellbeing overseas and letting it be taken away from us here at home too. I don't know what the exact answer is, but when we have a president bent on destroying us with the Iraq war, a Congress bent on doing NOTHING to help the average American, playing grandstanding games, and when we have a corrupt, powerful, lobbyist driven government run by a crony-corporate-globalizing elite that hides behind its wealth and anonymity to hand us commoners the shaft on a daily basis.....Something needs to give, but it looks like the power-mongers are going to up the same ol, same ol corrupt puppets for president, like either Hillary Clinton or Rudi Giuliani or Mitt Romney or someone they can control. They will do whatever it takes to maintain their anti-American status quo.

I just want to know who "Ëœthey' are: The power-elite needs to be identified and exposed for its treason.



Authors Bio:

I am a disabled man living in northern California who cares about the future of our country and I am distressed over the downward spiral in our social and political culture.


www.opednews.com

This says it all. It makes me very, very angry. We have GOT to act.

Originally Posted by ourcountrynottheirs

This says it all. It makes me very, very angry. We have GOT to act.

Me too ... that's why we're HERE ... to join together to make the changes needed to stop this madness. The author of this piece says it all, and seems to feel defeated. We are defeated only if we don't band together and ACT. I have total faith in the regenerative spirit of the American people to right wrongs. It just had to get bad enough for it to finally hit the middle class. It has hit us. And here we are. We will turn this around, together.

I would tend to agree more with this man's opinions on economic and trade relations than I do regarding issues of domestic privacy. After all we are living in extraordinary times. I wouldn't even think of complaining about airport security, for example, although I seem to get pulled aside most of the time. With all the potential evildoers circulating around the globe perhaps we need more precautions. And I think that will get worse.

At the same time, in general international economic issues, the US seems to have gone from being a global policeman or sole superpower to being a surrogate parent: Rushing to offer assistance but also scorned and blamed when things are uncomfortable.

Not every Middle Class American is being driven down; various recent economic booms have done pretty well for those who had the foresight to cash in at the peak. Compared to typical homes built in the 1940's and 1950's people live in very comfortable spreads now. Some have opted for zero maintenance homes, moving into trendy condos in the cities and living a clean, comfortable life.

This writer states that he is disabled. The US is certainly doing much more to help people with disabilities than it was fifty years ago. I agree we have a poor choice of leaders to pick from now and I am tired of the obstructions and wrangling emanating from our two major Parties. A demographic shock wave will hit the US as Baby-Boomers retire or become so injured they can not work. I think there are going to be many painful adjustments as this unfolds.

I agree with he writer as a Senior citizen involved with politics through out my life I have never seen this level of greed and corruption.

Quote( With all the potential evildoers circulating around the globe perhaps we need more precautions. And I think that will get worse).Quote

If we had secured the borders along with a tough immigration policy perhaps we could board an airplane without a strip search why allow everyone in and then penalize all citizens.

The poster who stated some middle class benefited is speaking in my opinion of the upper middle class and yes you are correct but the majority of the "working" middle class have and will suffer due to the greed of American corporations.

He makes some good points. I especially like that he seems to understand political correctness is a method of controlling people. PC really is meant to humiliate a person into silence. It is communist propaganda writ small.

I just want to know who "Ëœthey' are: The power-elite needs to be identified and exposed for its treason.

That is the question. I think a good place to start looking is in the Federal Reserve...our most opaque federal institution.

I'd like a list of those individuals who are doing this to us. They need to be publicly identified as traitors to the United States and invited to leave.

AMEN!

THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING AND POWERFUL ARTICLE. AMERICANS MUST GET CONTROL BACK TO WHERE IT BELONGS. AND THAT IS TO "WE THE PEOPLE".

I didn't find much I didn't agree with - not sure I think we should have universal healthcare. That would not be a necessity if the government would prosecute fraud in the healthcare field, would send the illegals home so taxpayers do not have to support them.

Some people may be better off, but we are loosing our country. We can argue all day about one thing or another - but the big pictures shows we are loosing our country.

Some did take profits at the peak. If everyone had had that foresight, there would have been no profits. Someone had to loose in order for others to make a profit, in the manufactured highs we have had lately.

Yes, people live in better homes, but many do not own them, probably will never own them. They are simply making payments - bigger and bigger payments, with more and more taxes be levied against them. For many of the people who bought during the big boom of homebuilding, they are no better off than if they were renting an apartment. When we hear about 'homeownership', we are talking about home rental for many people.

Domestic security - if it weren't such a joke, maybe we could take it seriously. They frisk people at the airport - some - but leave the borders open - and the entire world knows it. That's insanity. Everytime you get frisked at he airport, remember thousands and thousands a day are sneaking in across the border, and no one has a clue what they are carrying, or their intentions. I am almost convinced the show of security is just that. It is to give us some sense of security and also to keep us scared and to keep us depending on the government.

I don't think our government in its recent endeavors internationally has any benevolent intentions. I think it has some ulterior motive - if nothing else, just to make money for defense contractors.

No we are loosing our country - pure and simple.

That has said it all. Exactly how it is and how I fill.

I think most people are aware of this in some sense, but don't know how to stop. They sense that our government is in the death-grip of a power-mad elite which holds all the levers of power and economics. This power-elite carefully hide its own identity and we never know who is responsible for our suffering.

I for one would like to issue a list of names of these elitists on both sides of the political aisle who put their own selfish interests ahead of their social responsibility toward their country. I'd like a list of the people in our governing elite who are busting down our country and shipping our future overseas and ruining our reputation and stealing our country out from under us here at home too.

I'd like a list of those individuals who are doing this to us. They need to be publicly identified as traitors to the United States and invited to leave.

You can start with the members of the CFR. We have a lof of politicians who are members. The CFR's mission is one that is not American and non-democratic. It is for a socialistic one world order.